Las Vegas to Denver Road Trip

Route map

Start / endStopsOvernight

Las Vegas to Denver: the drive

The drive from Las Vegas to Denver covers 748 miles (1,204 km) and takes about 11 hrs without stops, mostly on I-70 and I-15.

That's a lot of time behind the wheel for one day, so we suggest splitting it into 2 days with an overnight in Green River, UT. That keeps each day to about 5 hr 30 min of driving.

We found 17 worthwhile stops within about 25 miles of the route, including Seven Magic Mountains, Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire State Park and Snow Canyon State Park.

Best time to go: June to September for high mountain passes; I-70 can close in winter storms.

Suggested 2-day itinerary

1. Day 1: Las Vegas → Green River, UT (374 mi). Stops: Seven Magic Mountains, Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire State Park.
2. Day 2: Green River, UT → Denver (374 mi). Stops: Arches National Park, Colorado National Monument and Glenwood Springs.

Best stops between Las Vegas and Denver

Before you leave Las Vegas

1. 2

   Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

   1–3 hrs~60 min detour

   A 13-mile one-way scenic loop 25 minutes from the Strip. A timed-entry reservation has been required for most of the year.

   

1. 1

   Seven Magic Mountains

   Mile 020–30 min~90 min round-trip detour

   Seven towers of neon-painted boulders in the desert just off I-15 south of Las Vegas. Free, quick and very photogenic.

   

2. 3

   Hoover Dam

   Mile 161–2 hrs~88 min round-trip detour

   Walk across the 726-foot Art Deco dam, or take the power plant tour. The Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman bridge walkway gives the best view.

   

3. 4

   Valley of Fire State Park

   Mile 412–3 hrs~49 min round-trip detour

   Nevada's oldest state park: fiery red Aztec sandstone, petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock and the short Fire Wave hike. Too hot for hiking at midday in summer.

   

4. 5

   Snow Canyon State Park

   Mile 1201–2 hrs~29 min round-trip detour

   Red and white Navajo sandstone, lava tubes and petrified dunes just outside St. George. A mini-Zion without the crowds.

   

5. 6

   Kolob Canyons (Zion)

   Mile 1511 hrOn the route

   Zion's quiet northwest corner, with a 5-mile scenic drive right off I-15 at exit 40 and no shuttle needed.

6. 7

   Cedar Breaks National Monument

   Mile 1791 hr~46 min round-trip detour

   A 2,000-foot-deep natural amphitheater at 10,000 feet. The rim road is usually closed by snow from November to late May.

   

7. 8

   Fremont Indian State Park

   Mile 2611 hrOn the route

   One of the largest collections of Fremont rock art in Utah, right beside I-70 in Clear Creek Canyon.

   

8. 9

   Goblin Valley State Park

   Mile 3721–2 hrs~76 min round-trip detour

   Thousands of mushroom-shaped hoodoos you can wander among freely, about 30 minutes off the Capitol Reef–Moab route.

   

9. ☾

   Overnight in Green River, UT

   End of day 1: about 5 hr 30 min and 374 miles from Las Vegas.

   See hotels in Green River →
10. 10

    Arches National Park

    Mile 437half day+~84 min round-trip detour

    Over 2,000 natural stone arches, including Delicate Arch at the end of a 3-mile round-trip hike.

    

11. 11

    Colorado National Monument

    Mile 4972 hrs~11 min round-trip detour

    Rim Rock Drive winds 23 miles past sheer red canyons and monoliths above Grand Junction. An underrated I-70 detour.

    

12. 12

    Glenwood Springs

    Mile 5922–3 hrsOn the route

    Soak in the world's largest hot springs pool after driving the dramatic I-70 corridor through Glenwood Canyon.

    

13. 13

    Vail

    Mile 6521–2 hrsOn the route

    A Bavarian-style pedestrian village. Summer gondola rides go to wildflower meadows.

    

14. 14

    Breckenridge

    Mile 6712 hrs~22 min round-trip detour

    A historic gold-mining main street at 9,600 feet, with ski runs in winter and alpine hikes in summer.

    

15. 15

    Georgetown

    Mile 7031 hrOn the route

    A Victorian silver mining town right off I-70, with the Georgetown Loop Railroad and bighorn sheep viewing.

    

Near Denver

1. 16

   Boulder

   1–2 hrs21 mi from the route

   Pearl Street Mall and the Flatirons from Chautauqua Park make an easy detour on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park.

   

2. 17

   Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre

   1 hr2 mi from the route

   A natural concert venue between 300-foot sandstone monoliths, open to walk through on non-show days. 30 minutes from downtown Denver.

Where to stay overnight on the way

Hotels and rentals around Green River, UT, the natural end of day one:

Map not loading? See places to stay near Green River →

Where to stay in Denver

Gateway to the Rockies, with Rocky Mountain National Park, ski towns and the I-70 canyon drive all close by.

Map not loading? See places to stay near Denver →

Renting a car for this trip

Most travelers fly into Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) and pick up a car there. If you're not driving back, compare one-way rentals that drop off at DEN. One-way fees vary a lot between companies. A mid-size car is fine for all paved roads on this route. You only need an SUV for the optional dirt-road detours.

Trip cost calculator

Estimate gas or charging, hotels and car rental for a round trip from Las Vegas to Denver:

Las Vegas to Denver road trip FAQ

Route calculated from OpenStreetMap data and checked 2026-11-09. Drive times assume normal traffic and no stops.